which of the wu men gates can attack each other and the emperors? are east and west separated by the middle one and do they touch the meridian? on balance of probability, it looks as if they all touch each other and the meridian, but it's not 100% clear. this could be an issue in a speed game. the meridian looks a darker orange where it separates the eunuchs, compared with at the wu men gates.

iancanton wrote:which of the wu men gates can attack each other and the emperors? are east and west separated by the middle one and do they touch the meridian? on balance of probability, it looks as if they all touch each other and the meridian, but it's not 100% clear. this could be an issue in a speed game. the meridian looks a darker orange where it separates the eunuchs, compared with at the wu men gates.

ian.

Ian thanks for that pickup. Those are three seperate territories, so have fixed all that in the V28 above...please refresh F5

Sooooo I'm coming to realize that it's not a simple thing to be able to just look at a map and divine gameplay, especially given the vagaries of setting and individual skill.

Which begs the question: cairns, how do you see various types of gameplay working on this map? To me it seems like a more constricted version of sydney, but I've played that map a grand total of one time so it's not like I'm an expert. And more to the point, what would you say would be the ideal settings for a game?

Incandenza wrote:Sooooo I'm coming to realize that it's not a simple thing to be able to just look at a map and divine gameplay, especially given the vagaries of setting and individual skill.

Which begs the question: cairns, how do you see various types of gameplay working on this map? To me it seems like a more constricted version of sydney, but I've played that map a grand total of one time so it's not like I'm an expert. And more to the point, what would you say would be the ideal settings for a game?

For the short and sweet answer: backstabbing central would be the ideal setting.

For a longer answer:1. no cards is going to be extremely long games.2. foggy games will be difficult also because not all continent territories are 100% grouped/connected3. game might be OK for a no-so-short speed game on 1v1v1, but i doubt it with 81 terts.4. anything 4 player and above would be ideal so that the game doesn't take too long, and i guess escalating would be necessary5. i don't see it working too well with no cards or flat rate6. the emperors and the middle meridian terts are going to be extremely hard to defend7. freestyle might be really good to get a good strong-hold in order to backstab oppoonents.8. and i guess assassin and terminator games would also do well although it is a big map to chase players around in.My overall preference is for escalating games. What do you think?I don't think this map is anythging like Sydney. Sydney is open because of the bus depots, but this doesn't have that aspect, although it does have the unconnected terts from one continent in another (Olympic Park)But this definitely not like Sydney map.

Certainly it's not as wide-open as sydney, but it's somewhat similar in that there are a ton of small and medium continents to grab and hold.

I agree that the more players on the map, the better. In an 8p game, a couple of players will get assed out, but the rest should either drop a bonus or be able to snag one in the first couple of turns. Weirdly in that respect it sorta seems like pearl harbor (which I am just now playing for the first time, and I'm the one guy in an 8p game that didn't drop a bonus).

A lot of what you said (i.e. no cards will be slow, backstabbing will be ideal) could be applied to any large map. The outer terits and the yellow imperial line thing do give the map a good flow. But there are an awful lot of dead-ends (fourteen by my quick count) that would definitely impede a higher-end escalating game where blocks and positioning are key. I'm not even sure what you could do about that save for completely redrawing the continents, and that seems like a bit of overkill. Maybe that's just a game style that won't be ideal for the map (and you'll be in good company, as solar system and high seas, among others, share that affliction).

Incandenza wrote:Certainly it's not as wide-open as sydney, but it's somewhat similar in that there are a ton of small and medium continents to grab and hold.

the sheer number of bonus regions makes forbidden city the devil to analyse without making notes along the way. i personally think it resembles pearl harbor the most, but with the additional wrinkle of the imperial meridian making it far easier to move around to kill any big bonuses.

that being so, there needs to be a bigger differential between the easier bonuses and the impossible-looking ones. to this end, i'm thinking that only an additional 2 bonus for the palaces and eunuchs (making +10 and +9 respectively) will make anyone bother with trying to hold them, otherwise it will be all about a race for the small bonuses.

Incandenza wrote:Certainly it's not as wide-open as sydney, but it's somewhat similar in that there are a ton of small and medium continents to grab and hold.

the sheer number of bonus regions makes forbidden city the devil to analyse without making notes along the way. i personally think it resembles pearl harbor the most, but with the additional wrinkle of the imperial meridian making it far easier to move around to kill any big bonuses.

that being so, there needs to be a bigger differential between the easier bonuses and the impossible-looking ones. to this end, i'm thinking that only an additional 2 bonus for the palaces and eunuchs (making +10 and +9 respectively) will make anyone bother with trying to hold them, otherwise it will be all about a race for the small bonuses.

ian.

OK, i understand that...what about the Great Halls...should they be bumped up also? and if so by how much?